{"product_id":"under-the-udala-trees-isbn-9780544811799","title":"Under The Udala Trees","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e“If you’ve ever wondered if love can conquer all, read [this] stunning coming-of-age debut.” — \u003cem\u003eMarie Claire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e Editors’ Choice\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Named a Best Book of the Year by\u003cbr\u003e NPR * \u003cem\u003eBuzzFeed * Bustle * Shelf Awareness * Publishers Lunch\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “[This] love story has hypnotic power.”—\u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does. Born before independence, she is eleven when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child and they, star-crossed, fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls. But when their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself—and there is a cost to living inside a lie.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Inspired by Nigeria’s folktales and its war, Chinelo Okparanta shows us, in “graceful and precise” prose (\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e), how the struggles and divisions of a nation are inscribed on the souls of its citizens. “Powerful and heartbreaking, \u003cem\u003eUnder the Udala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e is a deeply moving commentary on identity, prejudice, and forbidden love” (\u003cem\u003eBuzzFeed\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“An important and timely read, imbued with both political ferocity and mythic beauty.” \u003cem\u003e— \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eBustle\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A real talent. [\u003cem\u003eUnder the Udala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e is] the kind of book that should have come with a cold compress kit. It’s sad and sensual and full of heat.” — John Freeman, \u003cem\u003eElectric Literature\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Demands not just to be read, but felt.” — Edwidge Danticat \u003c\/strong\u003e  | \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction  Winner of the 2016 Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards—Fiction  Nominated for the NAACP Image Awards, \"Outstanding Literary Work—Fiction\"  Nominated for the Hurston\/Wright Legacy Awards, Fiction  Short-listed for the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award  Finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction  Long-listed for the 2015 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eLong-listed for the 2016 Chautauqua Prize  Semifinalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eA \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e Editors' Choice\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOne of NPR's \"Best Books of 2015\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOne of Buzzfeed's \"The 24 Best Fiction Books of 2015\"  One of Bustle's \"2015’s 25 Best Books, Fiction Edition\"  Included on the\u003cem\u003e Los Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e's \"Holiday Books Roundup\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOne of the \u003cem\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e's \"15 Books to Read This Fall\u003c\/strong\u003e\" \u003cstrong\u003eOne of Buzzfeed's \"19 New Books You Need to Read This Fall\u003c\/strong\u003e\" \u003cstrong\u003eOne of Bustle's \"Best Books of September 2015\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eA Shelf Awareness \"Best Book of 2015\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOne of the Sun Herald's \"Ten noteworthy fiction and nonfiction titles on the way\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOne of Gawker's \"9 Must-Reads\" for Fall\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOne of Publishers Lunch's \"Favorite Books of 2015, From the News Editor\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOne of Buzzfeed UK's \"27 Brilliant Books You Must Read This Winter\"\u003c\/strong\u003e   \"Incorporating Nigerian folktales, the author weaves a lush coming-of-age tale of forbidden love but also of strength and resilience... The vivid imagery of the bloody civil war and the stark Nigerian post-war landscape complements the sumptuous prose. This book has universal appeal.\"—Historical Novel Society  \u003cem\u003e\"Under the Udala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e is a gripping story of love, faith, and turmoil in post–civil war Nigeria. When Ijeoma falls in love with another girl, she must come to terms with who she is in a society that refuses to accept her. A heartbreaking and moving account of Ijeoma’s coming-of-age, as well as the story of a country during a time of great disturbance, \u003cem\u003eUnder the Udala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e will affect you deeply.\"—Buzzfeed, \"The 24 Best Fiction Books of 2015\"   \"Ijeoma is a young girl growing up in the difficult years following Nigeria's 1967 Biafran War. But coming of age in a war-torn country isn't her only challenge: She's also struggling to balance her taboo same-sex relationship with her mother's (and her society's) expectations. Chinelo Okparanta's writing is so immersive that even readers who have nothing in common with Ijeoma will feel like they've lived her experience. I couldn't put the book down and even pulled an all-nighter to finish it (then was a zombie at work the next day). Plan your schedule around this binge read!\"—NPR, \"Our Guide To 2015’s Great Reads\"   \"At the height of the Biafran war, two Nigerian girls fall in love. The romance is brief, but for Ijeoma, the narrator of this début novel, it is the beginning of years of pain...The love story has hypnotic power...Details of disco-era Nigeria—jerricans filled with palm wine, a suitor in bell-bottom trousers—suggest Okparanta’s skill and promise.\"—\u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, \"Briefly Noted\"   \"One of the most talked about debuts this fall.\"—\u003cem\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e, \"15 Books to Read This Fall\"   \"[Okparanta] is a natural storyteller, and her words carry a graceful, folkloric quality. Unlike myths, though, this young writer is doing the worthy work of openly revealing the suppression that Nigerian LGBTQ people continue to face daily. \u003cem\u003eUnder the Udala Trees \u003c\/em\u003eis an important and timely read, imbued with both political ferocity and mythic beauty.\"\u003cem\u003e—\u003c\/em\u003eBustle   \"If you've ever wondered if love can conquer all, read Ijeoma's story, set in Nigeria—her falling in love with another girl is problematic, if not illegal. The result: a stunning coming-of-age debut.\"—\u003cem\u003eMarie Claire\u003c\/em\u003e, \"What We're Reading\"   \"Okparanta [is] a graceful and precise writer.\"—\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e   “Remarkable…Timely…\u003cem\u003eUnder the Udala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e confirms [Okparanta's] talent, recalling the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in its powerful interweaving of the personal and the political. Okparanta’s simple, direct prose is interspersed with the language of allegory and folklore and is scattered with biblical references. The dizzying scope of her storytelling keeps you gripped to the end.”—\u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e   \"Gripping...Okparanta deftly negotiates a balance between a love story and a war story..\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eUdala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e serves as a sobering reminder that despite the legality of gay marriage in much of the western hemisphere and in Europe and the US, not too far away LGBT communities endure government-sanctioned terror and brutality. Okparanta exquisitely captures this disparity through an undaunted Ijeoma, who in pursuit of seeking a fulfilling, joyful life gains an insightful awareness about the relationship between hatred and persecution – one that extends well beyond Nigeria’s borders.\"—\u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e   \"A real talent. [\u003cem\u003eUnder the Udala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e is] the kind of book that should have come with a cold compress kit. It’s sad and sensual and full of heat.\"—John Freeman, Electric Lit   \"She had me at 'inspired by Nigeria’s folktales…', but I stayed for a story that should be told far more often than it is: That of a same-sex couple (two girls, in this case) who fall in love very young and keep their bond through the ravages of war, cultural ignorance, time, and fate. Ijeoma and Amina are born into a 1960s world of conflict, and while the decades may change, the conflicts continue, especially for the couple themselves. As Ijeoma tells us, 'If I had not met Amina, who knows, maybe there would be no story to tell.' That’s the simple but deep truth at the heart of every love story, especially a love story between two girls whose skin happens to be dark.\"—Literary Hub, \"10 Overlooked Novels by Women of Color in 2015\"   \"Rich in complexity, compassionate in the treatment of political violence and flagrant oppression...Okparanta’s prose feels natural, effortless. She renders the Nigerian landscape in lyrical bursts...and, as in her short stories, the rhythms slide seamlessly into intimate, conversational tones, equal parts folk tale and confessional. Throughout the book, many characters pound yams at the kitchen counter, echoing the constantly beating drums in Chinua Achebe’s \u003cem\u003eThings Fall Apart\u003c\/em\u003e. The hearts of the people beat in unison, the symbol seems to say — as do the hearts of literary forefathers and descendants.\"—\u003cem\u003eStar Tribune\u003c\/em\u003e   \"Chinelo Okparanta’s stunning debut novel, \u003cem\u003eUnder The Udala Trees\u003c\/em\u003e, is an epic story of love in the face of despair. Set in post-Civil War Nigeria, young Ijeoma comes of age in a country where following her heart may get her killed. Despite this reality, and\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890081296613,"sku":"NP9780544811799","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780544811799.jpg?v=1730232506","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/under-the-udala-trees-isbn-9780544811799","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}